How to document the size of edema

How do you measure and document edema,lets say when a patient has a swollen toe.How do you measure edema?? I find it very hard to measure and document the size edema
Look back in your nursing books for pitting edema scale. Use your tape measure for circumference. Note skin color, texture, integrity, size of area (from where to where). Always doc data for L and R extremities.

Oops I forgot your pulses, skin temp, pain.

There are 2 schools of thought on this and never the twain shall meet:1. Make a dent in the flesh with a finger and rate by seconds it takes for the dent to go away from nonpitting (self-explanatory), trace (it pits but it's a very shallow dent that goes away fast--exception: if the skin is too hard to dent, it's gotta be +4, actually more), then +1 to +4 (seconds dent persists).2. Rate +1 to +4 based on how bad it looks relative to other stuff you've seen (I hate this but there are more folks who use this than the first method).

One teacher taught us that the pitting edema ratings of +1 through +4 correspond to puddle, pond, lake, ocean.

allnurses.com/general.../re-assessing-edema-324840.htmlRe:assessing edema-1+, 2+, etc. - Nursing for Nursesnessajune21's post in the above thread is excellent.

Quote from 2ndwindOops I forgot your pulses, skin temp, pain.

So in my understanding pitting edema is less serious than non-pitting? And MOST patients have pitting edema? So brawny edema is like the most serious edema and it is non-pitting?

No, it depends on the pathyphys. Of course if you are getting to the point where it's obvious compartment you have what amounts to an emergent situation. That's why perfusion can be so important. You need to really doc well and be up on change or no change, things can get clotty and necrotic fast. Is it infection? is it a clot, is it overload/cardiac failure, or is it BP meds, etc.

Quote from Woodenpugallnurses.com/general.../re-assessing-edema-324840.htmlRe:assessing edema-1+, 2+, etc. - Nursing for Nursesnessajune21's post in the above thread is excellent.

Quote from 2ndwindNo, it depends on the pathyphys. Of course if you are getting to the point where it's obvious compartment you have what amounts to an emergent situation. That's why perfusion can be so important. You need to really doc well and be up on change or no change, things can get clotty and necrotic fast. Is it infection? is it a clot, is it overload/cardiac failure, or is it BP meds, etc.